Army anti-aircraft troops

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Beret badge of the Army Air Defense Force (anti-aircraft guns and anti-aircraft missile in oak leaf wreath with federal flag)

The army air defense troops was a branch of service in the army of the Bundeswehr and was one of the combat support troops . The task of the army air defense was the land-based defense against enemy missiles in the immediate and immediate range. The main weapon system of the Army anti-aircraft troops was the light air defense system Ozelot , until 2010 also the anti-aircraft tank Gepard 1A2 .

The Luftwaffe was entrusted with a large part of the orders for this branch of service. The Army Air Defense Force was decommissioned on March 12, 2012. The units were completely disbanded by the end of 2012.

assignment

The task of the army air defense was to support the combat troops in their operations against enemy forces on the battlefield - mostly indirectly - and to protect them from the effects of enemy weapons. In addition to army troops, the troops protected highly mobile areas, infrastructure and troops from other (partial) armed forces or military organizational areas . Enemy flight targets were fought in close and immediate range. Fighting more distant targets was primarily the task of the air force . The flight targets included airplanes, including drones , and enemy missiles. The fight against tactical ballistic missiles was expressly excluded . In an emergency, the anti- aircraft gun units were able to use their flak to fight enemy ground troops. A distinction was made between the army anti-aircraft troops and their tasks, the air defense of all troops on land, with which each troop protects itself from enemy aircraft with its own means and by using its own weapons.

The Army Air Defense Force was fundamentally involved in the integrated air defense, provided the air defense and airspace control support cells and was involved in determining the overall air situation . The Army Air Defense Force coordinated the use of the airspace by the land forces and represented the interests of the Army vis-à-vis other airspace users. It took into account the instructions of the responsible air defense commander .

The tasks of the anti-aircraft gun units and the light anti-aircraft missile units differed slightly:

  • The anti-aircraft cannon units (mechanized forces) protected the armored combat troops and artillery in particular, as well as the facilities and equipment that are important for their operations management. They were qualified for joint and combined use both in the context of integrated air defense and in operations by combined forces .
  • Light anti-aircraft forces primarily protected infantry and airmobile troops, their facilities and facilities that were important for their operations.

In the context of the transformation of the Bundeswehr , combat by opponents fighting asymmetrically increased in importance. The army anti-aircraft troops were therefore commissioned to the last to increase their ability to defend against unguided rockets, artillery and mortar projectiles.

history

Flak tank M42 Duster with 40 mm twin cannon (1958)
Gepard B2L anti-aircraft tank

In 1956 the army's air defense began to be set up. The troop branch was initially referred to as Fla-Troop and its troop school was set up in Rendsburg. In 1957 the troops switched to the air force. In 1964 he returned to the army. The initial equipment of the troops included M16 as a weapon carrier for M51 quadruple guns . These half-track vehicles were decommissioned by the Bundeswehr in 1962. The troop's first anti-aircraft tank was the M42 Duster . The M42 were retired by 1979. The replacement was the Gepard anti-aircraft cannon , which was introduced into the troops from 1976. In addition, for a long time the troops were able to use Flak 40 mm L / 70 field air defense systems. The Roland air defense system was introduced into the force in the 1970s . This was the first time that the army had anti-aircraft missile tanks; in the air force, the anti-aircraft weapon systems Patriot and HAWK were used in parallel .

The Roland weapon system was decommissioned in 2005. The Gepard weapon system followed in 2010. The reasons were the changed needs of the army and the high costs of the systems. The Air Force was based on a decision of the military leadership Council as of 2011 solely responsible for the ground-based air defense in the Bundeswehr. The Army Air Defense Force began to disband. The new MANTIS weapon system , which according to the original plan was initially to be introduced to the Army Air Defense Force from 2011, was therefore introduced to the Air Force. For this purpose, the anti-aircraft group of the anti-aircraft missile squadron 1 "Schleswig-Holstein" was reorganized on March 26, 2011 in Husum as a part of the air force . With the decommissioning of the Army Air Defense Force, the Light Air Defense System (LeFlaSys) Ozelot and the air surveillance radar LÜR were handed over to the Air Force.

education

The central training center and responsible for the further development of the military class was the “ Army Air Defense Force Training Center ” in Munster . The shooting training took place on the Baltic Sea coast in Putlos and Todendorf (previously a branch of the Army Air Defense School ). The commander of the training center was also the general of the army anti-aircraft troops . The General of the Army Air Defense Force was particularly responsible for the training and development of the Army Air Defense Force.

organization

classification

The army air defense troops was a branch of service in the army of the Bundeswehr . The Army Air Defense Force was one of the Army's combat support forces.

In the Bundeswehr, the army anti-aircraft troops were known as a separate service only in the army. Other branches of the armed forces own or have had their own anti-aircraft forces , but do not classify any military branches. The air force in particular already has its own ground-based forces to combat enemy missiles at great heights and, following the resolutions to dissolve the army anti-aircraft troops, it also has the fixed short-range protection system MANTIS , which primarily serves to protect its own facilities from being shot at. The Air Force passes its forces for air defense in the service area air defense service together. The army anti-aircraft troops in the army could be further subdivided according to weapon systems. The parts of the army anti-aircraft troops equipped with anti-aircraft guns were also grouped together as anti-aircraft guns ( FlaK , short for anti-aircraft guns). Historically, the anti-aircraft cartillery was part of the artillery . In some armies, artillery and anti-aircraft cartillery are still combined today. To a certain extent, all branches of the German army are still capable of air defense (anti-aircraft defense for all troops ).

In German-speaking comparable service branches as are anti-aircraft ( Austrian Federal Army ) or as air defense troops ( Swiss Army ), respectively. The National People's Army of the GDR referred to the comparable type of weapon as air defense (TLA) .

Troops

The army recently had the following active units of the army anti-aircraft troops:

designation place Association Force category status
Internal association badge Anti-aircraft training regiment 6 Luetjenburg 1st Armored Division Intervention forces Disbanded in May 2012
Internal association badge Anti-aircraft missile battery 100 Seedorf Special Operations Division Intervention forces Disbanded at the end of 2012
internal association badge Light anti-aircraft missile training battery 610 Todendorf 1st Armored Division Intervention forces Disbanded in May 2012
Internal association badge Jägerregiment 1 8th / Jägerregiment 1 , light anti-aircraft missile battery Schwarzenborn Airmobile Brigade 1st Intervention forces Disbanded at the end of 2015

The anti-tank gun battalion 12 and the light anti-aircraft missile battery 300 were disbanded in 2010. The personnel was called in to set up the security battalion 12 and thus switched to the hunter troop . Some of the Wiesel 2 ocelots that were released as a result were assigned to the 8th Company of Jägerregiment 1. With the decommissioning of the Gepard 1 A2 weapon system by the end of 2010, preparations for the operation of MANTIS began at the 6th anti-aircraft training regiment. For this purpose, a new anti-aircraft group of the anti-aircraft missile squadron 1 "Schleswig-Holstein" was reorganized on March 26, 2011 in Husum as a unit of the air force . The training at MANTIS has been carried out partly in Hardheim since 2011 under the responsibility of the Air Force. Operating personnel for MANTIS were partly called in by personnel from Hardheim. The planned two copies of the MANTIS weapon system were put into service by the air force at the end of 2011. The 6th anti-aircraft training regiment was dissolved.

The 8th company of Jägerregiment 1 (light anti-aircraft missile battery) last consisted of two anti -aircraft platoons with fists and an NBC defense platoon .

Overview of the decommissioned and disbanded units

equipment

Main weapon system

Wiesel 2 weapon bearer ocelot
Reconnaissance, leadership and fire control weasels
Air surveillance radar with antenna mast not yet erected

The main weapon system of the Army anti-aircraft troops was the light anti-aircraft system Ozelot . The weapon carrier Wiesel fired two ocelot anti-aircraft missiles Stinger as guided missiles . As aviator fists , the stingers could also be fired from the shoulder. The air defense reconnaissance battery mainly used radar sensors as a reconnaissance system, air surveillance radar , short-range radar and the low-level air defense reconnaissance interfaces (FAST) . The equipment of the backup squads of the anti-aircraft reconnaissance batteries also included flying fists "Stingers".

Reconnaissance and combat command system

The Army Air Defense Reconnaissance and Combat Command System (HFlaAFüSys) was the command and weapon deployment system of the Army Air Defense Force. It supported and accelerated the acquisition, transmission and processing of information, updated and completed the air situation picture . It increased the effectiveness of anti-aircraft weapons and increased the safety of their own airspace users . Tasks in detail:

  • Complete and early reconnaissance and identification of airspace users at low and medium altitudes. The means of reconnaissance ( sensors ) were the air surveillance radar, the short-range radar and the reconnaissance, command and control vehicle. These formed a reconnaissance network and deliver fire-conductive air situation data in real time for the use of anti-aircraft weapons . The local reconnaissance of the airspace supplemented the air defense reconnaissance. Army anti-aircraft weapons with their search radars or infrared search devices ( Infra-Red Search and Track ) took over the monitoring of the airspace.
  • Transmission of the identified air situation in real time to fire control equipment and anti-aircraft weapons as well as other users
  • Support for electronic warfare measures for the Army Air Defense Force
  • Ensuring the central fire control at battery and train level
  • Ensuring the air situation data exchange and the interaction with allied air defense forces and the integrated air defense via appropriate interfaces, in particular by means of FAST .

uniform

The weapon color of the Army Air Defense Force, shown for example as the color of the braids and collar tabs , was coral red . The color of the beret is also coral red . The beret badge shows two crossed cannon barrels framed by an oak wreath . The beret badge of the army anti- aircraft troops represented the two main weapons of the army anti- aircraft defense. The two crossed tubes stood for the twin guns used on the M42 Duster and the Gepard weapon systems . The missile is stylized anti-aircraft missiles such as those used in the Hawk and Roland weapon systems in the Bundeswehr.

  • Beret color and badge

  • Collar Tabs

Tactical sign

The basic form of the tactical symbol of the Army anti-aircraft troops and all NATO anti-aircraft troops showed a semicircle open towards the bottom. The semi-arch is the so-called "Fla-Himmel", which symbolizes the sky and was to be found in the internal badge of many units of this type of army. In the case of anti-aircraft missile units, this symbol was supplemented by an upward-pointing arrow with a second angle ( second arrowhead ) located above the semicircle, or in the case of anti-aircraft cannon units by two points below the anti-aircraft sky, which stylized the tubes of the flak.

Rank designations

The lowest rank in the units of the Army anti-aircraft troops as well as (to this day) in some other armies of the Army and in the Air Defense Missile Squadron 1 of the Air Force was the gunner . He corresponds to the rank of hunter, radio operator, tank grenadier etc. ( → see here ) of other branches of service. The other ranks correspond to the general ranks of the Bundeswehr .

Bundeswehr Cross Black.svg Team rank
Lower rank   Higher rank
- gunner Private

Rank group : Teams-NCOs-NCO-NCOs-Lieutenant-Captains-Staff officers-Generals

Description of individual associations that were active until recently

Army anti-aircraft training center

Internal association badge training center for army anti-aircraft troops

The Army Air Defense Force Training Center in Munster , which emerged from the Army Air Defense School, was subordinate to the Munster Training Center , to which the Armored Force Training Center and the Army Reconnaissance Force Training Center were also assigned. At the training center, all officers, sergeants and NCOs of the type of service were trained, as well as soldiers from all branches of the armed forces in the area of ​​air defense. The practical shooting training with the Gepard 1 A2 , the light air defense system , the flying fists and the anti-aircraft weapons was carried out at the anti-aircraft shooting range Todendorf . The anti-aircraft shooting range in Todendorf offered the anti-aircraft / anti-aircraft training base the prerequisites for anti-aircraft and anti-aircraft shooting on six firing ranges, each with up to 14 positions, which were located directly on the coastline . On the neighboring military training area Putlos , building on the school shooting at flight targets, ground target shooting and combat shooting at flight and ground targets took place within the framework of tactical situations.

Anti-aircraft training regiment 6

The Air Defense Training Regiment 6 in Lütjenburg was subordinate to the 1st Panzer Division (Bundeswehr) .

Anti-aircraft missile battery 100

Internal association badge for anti-aircraft missile battery 100

The anti-aircraft missile battery 100 in Seedorf was subordinate to the Special Operations Division as a division force .

assignment

The anti-aircraft missile battery 100 protected troops, especially infantry and airborne forces and their facilities, as well as systems against attacks and reconnaissance from the air. It could also be used without being tied to troops or objects.

structure
  • Battery management
  • 3 anti-aircraft missile platoons, each with a reconnaissance force, a reconnaissance team and five anti-aircraft missile groups
  • 1 telecommunication group with an RF troop and a field cable troop
  • 2 medical teams
  • 1 supply group
  • 1 transport group
  • 1 repair train
  • Air defense support cell and airspace control support cell
  • 1 liaison troop with the FAST troop (FAST = air defense reconnaissance interface low-level flight area)

Light anti-aircraft missile training battery 610

Internal association badge Light anti-aircraft missile training battery 610

The light anti-aircraft missile training battery 610 in Todendorf was subordinate to the 1st Panzer Division as a division force .

assignment

The light anti-aircraft missile training battery 610 protected land forces (especially light forces and airborne landings) as well as objects of other armed forces components as well as civil installations and facilities within the scope of the entire range of tasks of the army.

structure

Light anti-aircraft missile battery (8./JgRgt 1)

The light anti-aircraft missile battery (leFlaRakBttr) in Schwarzenborn was the 8th battery of Jägerregiment 1 of the Luftmobile Brigade .

assignment

The light anti-aircraft missile battery was designed for airborne use. It supported the operations of the combined ground forces of the Brigade's Jäger- und Army Aviation Troops within the framework of a maximum of two medium-sized, also deployed, or one of the mixed air combat units of Airmobile Brigade 1. The light anti-aircraft missile battery of Jägerregiment 1 operated according to the operational principles of the Jägertruppe . At the same time, like the infantry, it was fully mobile and capable of air transport.

See also

literature

  • Community of the Heeresflugabwehrtruppe (Hrsg.): Flight target on course. The Army Air Defense Force of the Bundeswehr 1950 to 2012. Motorbuch Verlag, Stuttgart 2013. ISBN 978-3-613-03564-5 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Volker Jung: Farewell to the Army Air Defense Force. Federal Ministry of Defense, the head of the press and information staff, May 5, 2012, accessed on May 7, 2012 .
  2. ↑ a b 1st Panzer Division - home page . In: deutschesheer.de . 2013. Archived from the original on March 20, 2013. Retrieved March 2, 2013.
  3. ↑ Which troops belong to the Army Air Defense Force? Federal Ministry of Defense, head of the press and information staff, accessed on October 15, 2010 .
  4. ↑ Thomas Kolatzki: Accurate: MANTIS air defense system impresses at international symposium. Federal Ministry of Defense, head of the press and information staff, October 18, 2010, accessed on May 18, 2011 .
  5. ^ Frank Behling: New device on the Baltic Sea beach. International symposium discusses air defense issues. In: www.kn-online.de. Kieler Nachrichten, October 5, 2010, archived from the original on March 17, 2011 ; Retrieved June 24, 2013 .
  6. ↑ Press and Information Center of the Air Force: MANTIS is responsible for the Air Force. In: luftwaffe.de. Federal Ministry of Defense, head of the press and information staff, January 1, 2011, accessed on June 24, 2013 .
  7. ↑ New weapon system is deployed in Storm City. Husumer Nachrichten Online, March 23, 2011, archived from the original on September 11, 2012 ; accessed on May 9, 2016 .
  8. ↑ A new group for the Husum squadron. Husumer Nachrichten Online, March 26, 2011, accessed May 24, 2011 .
  9. ↑ a b The equivalent, higher and lower ranks are given in accordance with ZDv 14/5 B 185, cf. The Federal Minister of Defense (ed.): ZDv 14/5. Soldiers Act . DSK AV110100174, change status July 17, 2008. Bonn August 21, 1978, rank designations in the Bundeswehr, p. B 185 (Not to be confused with the Law on the Legal Status of Soldiers (Soldiers Act) . The order of the ranks shown in the info box does not necessarily correspond to one of the regular rank sequences provided for in the Soldiers' Career Ordinance , nor does it necessarily correspond to the rank hierarchy described in the Superiors Ordinance a managerial relationship ).